Boost Your Confidence with Cosmetic Dentistry
Many people long for the look of a Hollywood smile. Cosmetic dentistry offers solutions to brighten, straighten, or generally improve the overall appearance of our teeth so we feel confident and beautiful. Today’s cosmetic dentistry services can be customized to fit your unique smile goals, while still giving the appearance of your natural teeth.
What is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry is a term that applies to any dental treatment or procedure that improves the appearance of someone’s smile. Cosmetic dentistry is typically considered elective, which means the patient is choosing to undergo these treatments for the specific purpose of making his or her smile look better, and not to treat any active disease.
Cosmetic dentistry differs from general dentistry because general dentistry aims to promote and maintain complete oral health including preventive treatments such as professional teeth cleanings and restorative treatments to rebuild teeth damaged by injury or disease. Despite the distinction, cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty. Any general dentist can offer cosmetic smile enhancement services to his or her patients. If you’re looking to benefit from cosmetic treatment, be sure to check with your general dentist first to see what options are available to you.
Benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry
The overarching goal of cosmetic dentistry is to improve the appearance of someone’s smile. It accomplishes this improvement in a variety of ways.
· Brighten dull, stained teeth.
· Improve the shape or position of your teeth.
· Repair chipped and cracked teeth.
· Bring balance and symmetry to your smile.
· Boost your confidence.
Who Should Consider Cosmetic Dentistry?
Anyone who is unhappy with the appearance of his or her smile should consider cosmetic dentistry options. If you find yourself hiding your laugh or avoiding photos because you are not confident about your smile, you should consider speaking to your dentist about a cosmetic solution.
Many dental treatments can fix different cosmetic issues in a smile, including:
· Chipped, uneven or jagged front teeth.
· Small gaps or spaces between your teeth.
· Tooth discoloration and staining.
· Teeth that appear too small or too big for your face.
· Misshapen teeth (teeth that do not have an ideal shape)
· Misaligned, crooked teeth.
Types of Cosmetic Treatments and How They can Improve your Smile
As we mentioned before, cosmetic treatments encompass a wide variety of dental options because there are many different ways to improve a smile. Here are some of the most popular cosmetic dental treatments.
Teeth Whitening
It is natural for our teeth to yellow as we age. We also contribute to the darkening of teeth by eating and drinking things that stain the teeth, like coffee, tea, or red wine. Your dentist can improve the appearance of yellow, stained teeth through professional teeth whitening. A professional teeth whitening treatment from your dentist will often give more significant and customized results than when compared to over-the-counter products.
For most people, a professional teeth cleaning should accompany any teeth whitening so all superficial stains have first been removed. Teeth whitening works by penetrating into the hard tooth structure and breaking down darkly-colored pigments within the tooth itself. The teeth actually change color, and this gives the smile a beautiful, bright white appearance.
Composite Bonding
Composite bonding is a dental treatment that uses a tooth-colored restorative material to rebuild or change the appearance of your teeth. Composite resin is available in numerous shades so your dentist can perfectly match your natural tooth or make them appear lighter. Dentists often use composite bonding to rebuild minor chips in front teeth, restoring them to their natural shape and size.
Skilled cosmetic dentists can also completely cover a misshapen or broken tooth with composite. This is called a composite veneer. This cosmetic treatment is very conservative because the dentist does not have to remove any natural tooth structure to accomplish the bonding. Composite is a versatile dental material, which your dentist can use in a variety of ways to improve your smile.
Dental Veneers
Porcelain veneers cover the visible surfaces of the teeth. Made from glassy, translucent porcelain, these veneers can create the most natural appearance of a smile while completely transforming it. Covering the teeth with veneers corrects multiple cosmetic issues, such as dark staining, minor misalignment, small gaps between the teeth, chipped or jagged edges, and misshapen teeth.
Porcelain veneers are more invasive than composite bonding because they require the removal of natural tooth structure. The amount of tooth structure removal depends on the severity of the cosmetic issue. For example, very dark teeth will require thicker porcelain coverage; therefore, they will also require the removal of more tooth structure than a tooth that is only mildly yellow.
Teeth Straightening
Someone can have white, well-shaped teeth and still dislike their smile because of crowding or gaps between the teeth. Teeth straightening is one of the most effective ways to improve a smile. Your dentist or orthodontist can straighten teeth using traditional orthodontics with brackets and wires, or in some cases using clear plastic aligners like Invisalign.
Moving teeth takes time, and it is time well-spent! Straight teeth are easier to clean, and the cosmetic results of orthodontics are worth the investment of time and money.
Other Restorative Treatments
Almost any dental treatment can be considered cosmetic if it leaves the teeth looking better than they did before treatment. Therefore tooth-colored fillings, inlays and onlays, porcelain dental crowns, dental implants, and even dentures can all be considered cosmetic in nature.
Cosmetic Dentistry: Your Next Steps
With cosmetic dentistry, you can achieve a smile that is both healthy and beautiful! Talk to your dentist about your smile goals and ask which treatment options will help you achieve those goals today.
